Rent the right home sweet vacation home

Before selecting a house, think about where you want to stay first. If it's a beach town, is it important the house be right on the beach? Are there certain attractions you want to be close to? Do you only want a short drive to the airport, restaurants and child-friendly places? Do you prefer a quiet road or want to be in the center of everything?

"Figuring out where you want to situate yourself will narrow down the list of homes that meet your location requirement," says Alexis de Belloy, a vice president of vacation home rental website HomeAway.com.

All HomeAway properties have maps of their locations, but it's also a good idea to use Google Maps or MapQuest to see how close homes are to vacation venues. You also can call or email the owner to ask questions, says Heather Bayer, editor of CottageBlogger.com and author of "Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit."

"A homeowner can tell you whether the home is in a remote location you desire or down the street from the McDonald's you may need for your kids," Bayer says.

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